Collapsible revolving door.



PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

T. VAN KANNEL.

GOLLAPSIBLB RBVOLVING DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.30. 1905.

SHEETS-SHEET l.

"WWW" No. 836,843. PATENTED Nov. 27, 190e.

, T. VAN KANNEL.

GOLLAPSIBLE REVOLVING Doon.

APPLICATION FILED OGT.30, 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2 I8 V l 7 ZI Z n I N 'L' j@ waxidl:

No. 836,843. PATENTED NOV. 2'7, 1906.

A T. VAN KANNEL. COLLAPSIBLE REVOLVING DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED OGTV.30.19O5.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3 HMO No. 836,843. PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906. T. VAN KANNEL.

GOLLAPSIBLE REVOLVING DOOR.

PPPP IOATION FILED 00T.s0.19o5.

fig/t@ PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

T. VAN KANNEL.

GOLLAPSIBLE REVOLVING DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.30, 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 6A n' rrnn srarns anni THEOPHlLlUS VAN KANNEL, @F NEW YURIQ N. Y., ASSlGNR fr onirica.

T VAN F KANNEL REVULVING DUUR COMPANY, A CORPORATUN 0 vi/VEST ViRGlNl'A COLLAPSBQME REVLfViNG @@R..

atented Non'. 22?., MEQ@ vented certain new and useful improvementsin Collapsible Revolving Doors, fully de# scribed and: represented in thev following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthe same. 1

The resentinvention relates to that class of revo ving doors which are dtted'hetween opposite `segments of a casing in a doorway to permit the movement oi persons through the oorway without the access of wind and ust. f.

The object of the inventionis to make the door-wings collapsible when abnormal pres-- sure is applied to any of the wings, so that in case of'emergencies the doors may be collapsed automatically 'and swingto one side of thespindle,l leaving open passages at opposite sides df the sarne for rapid ingress or egress. Revolving doors' of such construction are thus suitable Jfor use 'at the entrance of theaters, assembly-halls, and retail stores, where it is desirable to exclude 'wind and dust and where in case of panic it is equally important to furnish a free egress for the audience.

Any rush of persons against the revolving doors operates in the present inventionl to collapse the doors automatically, whatever point in the doors be pressed upon, as the construction operates, without .any skill or knowledge on the part of such persons, to detach the ties or other means employed for holding the door-wings in their normal or radial positions.

The adjacent faces of the wings are shown herein connected hy flexible ties formed of `wire rope and madeadjustable as to length to set the wings at anequal distance from one another. One end of each tie is held to the wing detachably, and the fastening de vice for such end is hinged upon the Wing, so

that it may be moved outwardly to rengagethe tie whenever detached.

The wings in the present invention are pivoted upon the central spindle in a novel manner by providing a grooved disk near each end of the spindle and furnishing each wing with two iuicrum-pins adapted each to engage thegroovein one of the disks. A

pinion is provided upon the spindle adjacent v to each disk, and a toothed segment meshing with such pinion is attached to each oi the v wings and made concentric with the ulcrumpin, and the fulcrum-pins are thus enabled to change their position upon the fulcrum-plate when the wings are moved from their normal position by their constant enga ement wit7 the groove in the disk during t e rolling of the segment upon the teeth oiz the pinion.

The pins upon which the wings are supported aretermed fulcrum-pins herein, as the v doors are supported upon them andturn fu onthem during the Swingin movement of t e wings when collapsed. he icones, by which the ins are'flxed upon the doors 'are termed lcrnm -hoxesj and the disks which su port the pins upon the spindle are The various details of construction will he understood by reference to .the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the spindle with the doors `in their working position. Fig. 2 shows the' upper part of one door with the notch to receive the'fulcrumj-box. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same parts withthe door: casing partly represented. Fig.' 4-is crosssection ofthe tie-fastening device adjacent to the pin 6 in Fig. 9, showmg one side of the yoke. Figf5' a cross-section ofthe same on line 5 5 in Fig.` 9. Fig. 6 is a crosslsection of the same on line 6 6 in Fig. 9. Fig. 6a shows the cord tie. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the tie-fastening device with the cover opened to insert and engage the cord-'- Fig. 8 is an outside view of such'fastening device, and Fig. 9 yis a side elevation of the same with theside plate removed on line 8 8 in Fig. 8 and the inner part broken away to expose the aperture throughwhich the tie is inserted. Fig. 10 is a view of the pivotal connections between'the door-andthe spindle in section through the center ofthe spmi dle. Fig. l11 is a plan of the fulcrum-disk Ss-v ICO

with the doors collapsed at one side ofthe l same and the lower edges ofthe doors broken away, as well as portion" of the fulcrum-boxes upon two ofthe doors. Fig. 12 is a side view f ment in the lower part of the same.

of one ofthe fulcrum-boxes having .the segbox with a segment in the upper partl of the same, and Fig. 15 is a cross-section on line 14 14 in Fig. 12. AF ig. 16 is a perspective view of the spindle and wings.

In Figs. 1 and .3, a designates the spindle, and b .the wings, held movably adjacent to the spindle, each by a ulcrumin c engaging the oove d in the disks. he wings are note ed, as shown in Fig. 2, to receive fulcrumiboxes p, which embrace the disks, and a toothed segmentf is secured within each notch tomesh with lthe pinion g' upon the spindle adjacent to the disk. The engagement of the `fulcrurnpin with the groove d supports the pin so as to be capable of movement concentric with the spindle when thel doors are detached from one another, and the pin thus operates as a fulcrum durin the turning of the wing to hold the toothe segment concentric with the pinion, so that their teeth may be heldin engagement during the turning of the Wings from a radial to a tangential position, and vice' versa.y Fig. 3

l shows the wings disposed at regular intervals Ties r shown in Figs. 1 and 2, connecting the ad-l of 4ninetydegrees aroundthe spindle andthe center of eachtoothed. segment engaging the pinion.

(represented herein of wire rope) are jacent 'faces ofthe' wings, and while thus held the wings and spindle are adapted to turn toether inthe normal operation oi the revolving door within its casing i. (Shown in Fie". 3.)

lhe detachment oi any of the' ties from any of the wings permits the wings to swing looselyupon their fulcrum-pins c, their movel ment causing the, segments to turn them all to one side of the spindle, as shown in Fig. 1 1.

in such movement the segments upon the adjacent wings would interfere with one another unless attached to the wings on different levels, and this arrangement-is secured by forming each of the wings with the notch y' (shown in Fig. 2) where it embraces the disk e and securing a ulcrum-box within the notch by means of 'lianges is.

The iulcrum-box p is provided with a socket in which the ulcrum-pin c may move longitudinally and be pressed by a spring Z toward the bottom of the groove in the disk. The bottom of the groove d in the disk is provided, asshown in Fig. 11 with four equidistant conical recesses m, andthe point oi the ulcrumlpin c is made conical to iit such recesses,which 'assists in disposing the' wings in their normal position at equal distance from one another around. the spindle. 'The v recesses 'm' operate only as guides to the feel- Fig. ia

Fig. 14

scenes ings of the operator in setting the wings in their no al position, as the tapering form of the rey esses and pins permits the fulcrumpins to serve as springfcatches, which push upon the wings causes them to collapse. A central partition n is formed in each fulcru'mbox toprevent the passage of air or drafts through' the same, and the toothed segments for the adjacent wings' are attached to seats upon such partitions at diiierent levels, so as to clear one another when the wings are collapsed, as shownin Fig. 1,1.

The teeth of the segments can be cut before theT are attached to the seats fn. The parts are so proportioned that the extremity of each segment may project into the fulcrumbox vupon the adjoining door nearly to the partition n, but without interference from the partition or the segment attached thereto at a diierent level. Dotted lines a: in Fig. 11 indicate the normal positions of the four wings, and as such lines are at opposite angles of forty-tive degrees to the plane of the collapsible wingsk it will be observed that the two wings at the outer sides ofthe group are required to turn through an arc of one hundred and thirty-five de rees to reach their normal positions, while t e two central wings of the group need to turn yonly iorty-iive degrees. The pinion g is shown with sixteen teeth and each of -the segmentsf with eight teeth, which enables any of the wmgsto m'ove pne hundred 'and thirty-five degrees without rolling upon more than four teeth of the pinion, and this brings the end of each segment,

into engagement with the pinion, when the wings are colla sed, as shown upon thev two outer doors oi yt e group in Fig. 11. To prevent the segment from rolling farther and breaking the connection of the segment with the pinion, the stops o are provided upon the ulcrum-box adjacent tothe iulcrum-pin, (see Figs. i 1 and 12,) and opposed stops g are provided upon the edge oi the disk to engage the stops o when the wing moves to such desired limit. ln such movement the stop upon the -iulcrum-box clears the first two of the stops g upon ythe disk, but afterward sweeps 1n cesses m upon the line and could be moved .one hundred and thirty-iive degrees farther before the stop on the fulcrum-box would encounter the other stop g upon the disk.

It the wing be pushed when the stops are in contact, it operates to rotate the disk and the spindle and to bring lsuch wing into the lvoluntarily out ofthe recesses when pressure IOC The segments and the stops are so propor tioned, as shown in Fig. 11, that any .of the lWings when a tie between the Wings is-detached canbe pushed in either direction and operate by continuous pressure to collapse all of the wings and bring them parallel to one another. l The fulcrum-pins near opposite ends of th wings in engagement with grooves in disks at the opposite ends of 'the spindle form a very inexpensive and eective joint for the wings, in which the pins can move upon the fulcrum-disks for folding all of the wings toether upon 4one side of the spindle. Ther ulcrum-boxes are shown with clearance-` space inside of the same above or below each of the segments for the adjacent segment to penetrate. the box without interference, and it is obvious that the four segments operating upon the pinion at each end of the spindle may be made to roll in four different planes by making the pinion twice as long; but the construction ,shown Ais more economical of space and material. l

To connect the doors detachably, it is necessary to have a tie which is held at one end in an adjusted gripper, which retains the tie with suflicient orce to rotate the doors under normal ressure, but releases the tie when abnorma pressure is brought upon the wings, so as to let them collapse.` It is also desirable that the` tie should, be ca Vable. of-

adjustmentas to length, so thatw en the ties. are first applied to the wings Ithe Wings ,maybe `set exactly at right angles to onel another. To meet these requirements, I have devised the tie shown in Fig. 6a, .which consists of a piece of wire rope' r, having a screw-threaded sleeve s soldered `uporrone end and a knob t soldered ,upontheopposite-r end. The fixture applied to the wings forl holding the opposite endsjof` such tie'isalso shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 'andconsists of the gripper-box u, having apertures 1 and 2 upon opposite sides to admit the ends s and t of the tieand having a screw-threaded socket 3 for engaging tfhe threaded sleeve s and an abutment 4 and spring-gri per for detachably holding the knob t. he sleeves forms a screw-threaded shank upon the tie, which can be readily turned in the socket 3 when the clamp screws 15 of the socket are loosened, and the length of the tie can thnsbe varied to set the wings in their operative positions. When the tie is thus suitably adjusted, it is held in itsadjusted length bv tightening the screws 15 to clamp the shank s. The box is fitted-.to the door-Wing so that the apertures 1 and.2 areexposed upon f ote the opposite sides of the Wing, as shown in Fig. 3, and when the' ends of the) tie are properlysecured in the clamp 3 land -the spring-gripper the wings are-he d in an oper-v ative condition. To release 'the tie when subjected to abnormal ment ,4 is formed of a ro ler and the springgripper is formed With a swing-yoke 5, pivon pin 6,' carrying a pressure-roller 7 adjacent to the roll 4,-'so as to grasp the tie adjacent .to the knob t. A plunger 8, actuated by a spring 9, presses the yoke and roll 7 normally toward the abutment 4, and a threaded 'plug 10 is applied rto the end of the spring to adjust the same'. The arts named,

except the clamp-socket 3, are a attached to a coverv, hinged upon the gripper-box u, which-cover can be opened, as shown in Fig. 7, (and upon one of the wings in Fig. 2,) to readily insert fthe knob between the rolls 4 and 7. To hold the cover normally locked, a spring-dog 16 is pivoted upon one end of the cover to engage a shoulder 17 within one end of the grip er-,boxyand a thumb-piece 18 is projected om the do through a slot 19 in the cover' to rock the'` ogwhen it is desired to disengagelit from the shoulder to ermit the cover to be o ened.- The dog is s oping upon the inner si e, sol as to be pushed automatically outof the way as the cover is ries the roll 4 is formed with notch 1'1 adj al cent to the aperture 2,v 'so Ithat theknob can be readily passed through such `notch to lo- `cate itbeyond therolls and insertfthe' tie 1 between' the' rolls without separating the v'sarnejwhich would be difficult in view of the resistance of the spring 9.' `The casing or box which holds these parts forms a fixture containing the `fastening device for the ends of the ties to adjust and retain them in the manner described. .When the tie has been 'detached from the fastening device,it would obviously be diHicult to replace the knob t therein exce t the fixtures Were hinged 'upon 'the gri perox u, as shown in Fig. 7, which not 'on y renders the interior of the grip er accessible, but brings it nearer to the a ja- .cent door-wing, so as to afford some slack in th,1 tie for manipulating the knob upon the en The fastening device maybe inserted in the slot formed through the door-wing, as at the left side ofFig. 1, or it may be formed as a cross-bar extended between the Stiles, as at the right side of Fig. 1 the former arrangement being suitable when a wooden panel is employed in the bottom .of the wing and the roo IIO

IIS

latter arrangement when the Whole Wing is lld With glass. lo expose the apertures l and 2 at opposite sides oi the Wing in the latter case, the cross-bar wis set centrally upon the stiles y and formed with grooves in its upper and lower edges to receive the glass plates z. Where the gripper-,box is set in the rail 12, as at the leit side of Fig-l, a handrail 13 is extended between the stiles in the usual manner; but the use of 'such a handrail` may be avoided When the gripper is formed in the cross-bar w by constructing a hand-rail 13 uponl the cross-bar, as shown in Figs. l, 7, and 8. Such construction enables the cross-bar to eriorm the double function of carrying the flixture to grasp the ends oi they ties detachably and also to furnish a support for the hand` in pressing upon the door, and thus obviate the necessity of a yspecial hand-rail. n

From the above description it Will-be understood that the ties between the wings hold the doors iirmly in their operative Arelations until detached and thatthe ties are .t'ening for one or both ends of the tiesis of a yielding character, so as to 'form a detachable engagement With-the tie which Willrelease When exposed to abnormal' pressure, thus making the collapsing loi the Wings entirely automatic infemergencies and requiring no especial skill or attention on theparttof the passenger to clear the passage-Way. I

Having thus set forth the nature. of theinvention, What is claimed herein is- 1. ln a revolving door, a central spindle, a series of Wingsipivoted thereto and fixtures connecting the adjacent sides of the Wings, Aand provided Withf automatically-detachable fastenings adjusted to permit the automatic collapsing of the Wings under abnormal pressure.

2. ln a revolvingdoor, the combination., with a suitable casing and a central spindle,

of a series 'of Wings pivoted thereto, and ties attached to the adjacent sides of the Wings,I and secured by detachable iastenings adapted to hold the wings normally in a radial position upon the spindle, and ladjustedy to release the Wings when subjected to abnormal pressure, to permit the collapsing of the Wings.

3. A revolving door having a suitable casing, a spindle centered therein With-hangerdisks near its opposite ends, and a` series of Wings having fulcrum-pins movable upon suchfulcrum-disks, for folding all of the Wings together upon one side of the spindle.

4. A revolving door having a suitable casing, a spindle centered therein and provided With toothed pinions, and a series of wings having fulcrum-pins movably supported upon a spindle and provided each with a toothed 'segment engaging such pinion to tangential to the spindle vvhen the Wing is,

moved relatively to the spindle.v

6. A revolving door having a suitable casing, a spindle centered therein with iulcrum disks and pinions near its opposite ends, and a series ot Wings having ulcrum-pins movable upon the ulcrum-disks and provided each at opposite ends with a toothed segment engaging a pinion, to cause the pins of each wing to move so as to bring the Wing tangential to the spindle when the Wing is moved relatively to the s indle, the segments upon the several Wings eing arranged to operate at different levels upon the said pinions so as toclear one another When collapsed at one side of the s indie.

7 A revo ving door having a suitable casing, -a spindle centered therein and provided with toothed pinion, and a series of Wings having ulcrum-pins so as to be capable of movement concentric with the spindle and provided each With a toothed segment engaging such pinion, the teeth in such segment proportioned to engage a semicircumierence of the pinion, whereby any of the Wings may be rolled one hundred and fifty-live degrees from its normal position.

8. A revolving door having a suitable cas-f ing,'.a spindle centered therein with iulcrum disks and pinions near its opposite ends, a series of Wings having tulcrum-pinssupported so as to be capable of movement concentric with the spindle, and the wings provided each at opposite ends With toothed segments engaging such pinions, and stops to limit the rolling of the segments upon the pinions.

9. .A revolving door having a suitable casing, a spindle centered therein with ulorum disks and pinions near its opposite ends, a

'series of Wings having ralorum-pins supported so as to be capable of movement concentric With the spindle and the Wings provided at opposite ends with toothed segments engaging such pinions, sto s to limit the rolling ofithe segments upon t e pinions, and spring-catches for engaging the Wings, when in their normal quadrantal positions, detachably with the disks.

10. A revolving door having a suitable casing, a spindle centered therein with fulcrum disks and pinions near its o posite ends, and a series of Wings having eac recesses near its IIO ' segments in the several boxes being arrange doors.

to en age Ithe pinions at diHerent levels, wherey the segments 'clear one another when the wings are folded to one side of the.

spindle,

11. A revolving door having a suitable casing, a spindle centered therein with fulcrum disks and pinions near its opposite ends, and a series of wings having eachrecesses near its opposite ends to fit over the disks and pinions, and fulcrum-boxes fitted to the recesses and provided each with a fulcrum-pin movable upon the disk and with a toothed segment engaging the pinion, the boxes having partitions n, with seats provided at .different levels upon the several wings with the toothed segments attached to such seats, whereby the teeth may be cut in the segments before they are attached to the boxes.

12. A revolving door having a suitable casing, a spindle centered therein with Jfulcrum disks and pinions near its opposite ends, the

opposed faces of the disks having each ay groove lnear its periphery, a series of wings having each a fulcrum-pin fitted to the said groove, and a toothed segment concentric with such pin and en agin the inion, whereby the wings may ie co lapsed y'the rollingjlof1 the segments upon the pinions and' the s 'fting of the fulcrum pins in the grooves.

13. In a revolving ldoor having collapsible wings, the combination, with a strap or cord fastened uponone wing, of a fastening device upon the adjacent wing arranged and-*operated to asp the end of such strap detachably anrIlto resist the normal pressure upon the winlgs, and adjusted to release the strap.

under a normal pressure, whereby the wings are automatically collapsed under such pressure.

. 14. In a revolving door -having collapsible wings, the combination, with a strap or cord fastened uiion one wing vand having a knob upon the end, of a fastening device upon the a jacent door comprising an abutment for one side of the knob, and aspring-gripper opposed thereto and'adj usted to retain the knob under the normal operation of the doors, and to release the knob under abnormal pressure, to permit the automatic collapsing of the 15. In a revolving door having collapsible i wings, the combination, with each wing, of a fixture attached to the wing and having apertures upon opposite sides, a clamp vwithin each fixture adjacent to one of the apertures for gripping one end ofthe cord, and a fasten- .ing device within the xture adjacent to the other aIperture having a spring-grip er to grasp t e end of an adjacent cord etachably, whereby all the wings are detachably connected, and the wings' may be automatically collapsed when abnormal pressure is applied to any one of them.

16. In a revolving door havin collapsible Wings, the combination, with eac' wing, of a 'fixture attached to the wing and having apertures upon opposite sides, a' clamp within each fixture adjacent to one of the apertures for gripping one end of the cord, and a fastening device within the fixture adjacent to the other aperture comprising an abutment pro-I vided with a roller and an adjacent springgripper provided with a roller, and cords connectmg the several fixtures and secured each y cord, a cover hinged upon the box and having an a erture or the insertion of a cord with kno upon the end, an abutment upon the cover having a roller adjacent to such a erture and as rin ri er provided with alioller, with s alle agt hepnds of the rollers to ass the kno beyond the same, andalatch ao old the cover normally closed upon the ox. i i 18. In a revolving door, a tie formed of a wire rope 1* provided with screw-threaded shank s upon one end and knob ,t upon the opposite end, fixtures upon the wings adapted to enga e the screw-thread adjustably and to retain t e knob detachably, whereby the llength ofthe tie maybe adjusted a'nd it may be vautomatically released Awhen subjected to abnormal pressure. 19. In a revolving door, a tie formed of a wire rope r provided with screw-threaded shank s'upon o'ne end and knob t upon the opposite end, andn fixtures upon the wings provided each with the threaded clampsocket 3 to engage the screw-thread s adjustably, and a spring-gripper. to engage the knob t detachably, as and for the purpose set forth.

20. In a revolving door, the combination,

IOO

Withhinged door-wings, of ties extended beclamp for one end o t e tie, and a s ringgripper to engage the opposite end o a tie detachably, such spring-gri per being hinged upon the said fixture to facilltate the engagement ofthe tie with the spring-gripper.

21. In a revolving door, the combination,

with the wings furnished with glass panels and eonneoted by ties between their adjacent In testimony whereof l have hereunto set faces, of the cross-bar w rovlded with my hand in the presence of two subscribing 1o grooves up'cp iitls upper and f ovver elges flor witnesses.

the glass, t e and-rail 14 or pus ing t e Wing, and containing a fixture Jfor clamping THEGPHLUS VAN KNNEL' one end of a tie and for holding the opposite Witnesses:

end of a tie detachably, whereby the Wings FRED FIEN,

may be collapsed under abnormal pressure. JOHN J. RAP?. 

